The Census Bureau is still receiving questions about the role of auction houses in export transactions and that “is probably one of the biggest challenges that we're facing right now,” said Omari Wooden, assistant division chief for trade outreach and regulations. Some exporters have struggled to determine whether the houses should be listed as the U.S Principal Party in Interest and have asked Census for more guidance, but the agency has said each case may be different (see 2107010043).

CBP is almost ready to mandate electronic export manifest for ocean, air and rail, and plans to issue an EEM pilot for trucks within the next year, said Jim Swanson, director of the cargo and security controls division, for cargo and conveyance security in the CBP Office of Field Operations. CBP has been under pressure to move faster on the project after delays in 2021 pushed back its full release to at least this year (see 2110180038).

Customs and Border Protection will issue its guidance on complying with the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act before the new law takes effect June 21 (see 2112250001), Commissioner Chris Magnus told the annual conference of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America Wednesday in Tucson. The guidance will be out “very, very soon,” he said. “I’ve heard loud and clear your concerns about receiving this guidance,” Magnus said. Under UFLPA, CBP must instruct importers on what constitutes the clear and convincing evidence they must produce to overcome the rebuttable presumption that their goods were produced in whole or in part with forced labor in Xinjiang, China. “Our team will be ready to answer your questions and able to address any concerns you have,” Magnus said. CBP will hold educational webinars on UFLPA, and provide additional guidance as it becomes available, he said. The interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, which is headed by the Department of Homeland Security, will also present a strategy to Congress on how CBP plans to enhance its legal authorities and other tools, plus address the additional resources required for enforcement. UFLPA requires CBP to report to Congress anytime it accepts an importer’s evidence that goods weren't made with forced labor, granting an exception from the rebuttable presumption requirement for the goods to be imported. Those exceptions will be made public.

TUCSON, Arizona -- CBP has made strides in improving its liquidation time frames for drawback claims, but the agency still has a hefty “inventory” of claims and could benefit from some ACE programming changes to make further progress, said Janelle Cray, chief of CBP’s drawback and revenue branch, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on May 4.

TUCSON, Arizona -- The Department of Homeland Security is working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Retail Federation’s Jonathan Gold to “communicate” to the customs brokerage industry “different aspects of cybersecurity” to better prepare brokers to keep their data safe, Amy Strauss, senior director of the DHS Private Sector Office, said May 3 at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference. “Anyone that manages and owns large amounts of data might continue to be a target” for nefarious actors, Strauss said. “That means we need to do our due diligence to adjust and make sure all of our industry stakeholders have the resources they need to protect themselves.”

TUCSON, Arizona -- CBP will be issuing its guidance on the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act prior to the new law’s June 21 effective date, CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in remarks at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference May 4. The guidance, which will “provide transparency to CBP’s operational approach,” will be out “very, very soon,” he said.

TUCSON, Arizona -- CBP is considering giving filers the option of using blockchain technology for entry filing as it develops ACE 2.0, Celeste Catano of E2open said May 4 at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference. Filers would have the choice between setting up a distributed ledger to talk to CBP’s distributed ledger, or use ABI calls to CBP’s system, she said.

TUCSON, Arizona -- As CBP develops its 21st Century Customs Framework, the role of the customs broker will change in ways that reflect the new era of economic competition and “national economic security” concerns, Brandon Lord, deputy executive director of CBP’s Office of Trade Policy and Programs, said May 3 at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference.

TUCSON, Arizona -- Upcoming ACE filing requirements for Fish and Wildlife Service regulated exports in ACE will likely be aligned with import filing requirements also in progress, FWS ACE Coordinator Rhyan Tompkins said May 2. The required data elements are the same for both imports and exports, which should lead to similar filing requirements, Tompkins said during an afternoon panel at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference. The agency is working through the message set with CBP, but in the meantime, exporters would likely find it useful to review the import ACE implementation guide for an indication of how the agency will handle exports.

TUCSON, Arizona -- Despite initial concerns around national permits that focused on the devaluation of the customs broker license and reduced hiring of licensed brokers, the industry should be more concerned with new responsible supervision and control criteria included in CBP’s June 2020 proposed rule amending Part 111 to eliminate district permits (see 2006040037), according to panelists speaking at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on May 3.